MORGANTOWN — Earlier this week, the hot topic among local meteorology enthusiasts was the possibility of big snow this weekend.
Now, not so much.
“It’s been trending in the right direction. I guess there are some people who might say the wrong direction. The bottom line is it’s trending toward less snow,” Accuweather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said.
Asked where meteorologists come down on the snow/no-snow ledger, Kines quipped “We’re just cheering for the forecast to be right.”
We’ll see.
According to Kines, Morgantown can expect temperatures in the mid-30s Friday with clouds forming late in the day.
“Precipitation probably gets in here during the day on Saturday and continues kind of off and on through Saturday night and perhaps even into Sunday some as well,” he said, explaining the overnight hours will likely be the only time temperatures drop low enough to cause any real issues.
“The thing is, temperatures Saturday and even into Saturday night are going to be very marginal to support accumulating snow,” he said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if very little happens as far as snow is concerned — let’s put it that way. Maybe more rain than snow is involved.”
Morgantown Engineering and Public Works Director Damien Davis said the city has been monitoring the weather situation all week.
“The Streets Division of the Department of Engineering & Public Works does not typically pre-treat roadways unless a large amount of snow is forecasted. They do not plan to pre-treat the roadways this weekend,” he said.
If city streets are pre-treated, it’s done using the same rock salt that is laid down after a snowfall.
Davis said the city has eight plow trucks that are deployed based on supervisors’ observations.
“They often go out to check the condition of the roads. The Morgantown Fire and Police Departments also call to alert the Streets Division if they think the roadways are becoming unsafe,” he said.
At the state level, Chief Engineer Joe Pack said West Virginia Division of Highways District 4 began pre-treating roads with salt brine on Wednesday.
There are 147 trucks equipped with plows and salt spreading capabilities in the six-county district. According to Pack, each truck is assigned drivers in 12-hour shifts around the clock, when needed.
“Drivers are on the roadway as long as the snow is falling and then for the cleanup afterwards until the roads are deemed safe and passable,” Pack explained.
WVDOH reminds motorists to slow down, give snowplow drivers space and never pass a truck during a winter weather event.
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